Written Answers Wednesday 1 December 2010

Scottish Executive

Community Planning Partnerships

Bill Kidd (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had to determine whether community planning partnerships represent value for money.

John Swinney: The Scottish Government is committed to the principle of partnership working that delivers outcomes that matter for local people. Audit Scotland carry out risk-based best value audits of local authorities, including community planning. Reports of the audits are in the public domain. Audit Scotland is also planning to undertake a review of community planning partnerships in 2011-12 to assess their effectiveness.

Community Planning Partnerships

Bill Kidd (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what analysis and methods of measurement it uses to determine whether community planning partnerships reduce duplication and create efficiencies in delivery.

John Swinney: The Scottish Government firmly believes that partnership working is key to making the best use of available resources and improving efficiency and effectiveness in the delivery of public services. In particular, we are seeking efficiency savings across public services of 3 per cent for 2011-12, with each delivery body expected to report publicly on their plans to improve the efficiency of public services, actions undertaken and results achieved.

Community Planning Partnerships

Bill Kidd (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what analysis it has undertaken to compare the operation of community planning partnerships in areas where they replaced social inclusion partnerships.

John Swinney: The work of social inclusion partnerships (SIPs) is now integrated into community planning partnerships (CPPs). Responsibility for the implementation of community planning lies with the partnerships themselves.

Council Tax

Patricia Ferguson (Glasgow Maryhill) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it arrived at the figure of £70 million when calculating the resources required to fund the council tax freeze in 2011-12.

John Swinney: The £70 million is a continuation of the money provided to all 32 local authorities in each of the last three years to enable them to freeze their council tax at 2007-08 levels. This sum was agreed with COSLA as part of the 2007 spending review discussions and it represented a 3.2 per cent increase in each local authority’s 2007-08 estimated council tax income figures.

  We are currently working with our local government partners to extend the council tax freeze for another year bringing some further much needed relief to hard-pressed households across Scotland. £70 million is the equivalent of a 3.1 per cent increase in each local authority’s 2010-11 estimated council tax income. This compares very favourably with the latest HM Treasury inflation figures of 1.9 per cent.

Education

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether further information will be published regarding the details of the new national qualifications prior to the publication of the National 4 and National 5 exams in 2012 and, if so, what information and when it will be made available.

Michael Russell: Further information regarding the details of the new National 4 and National 5 qualifications will be published on the Scottish Qualifications Authority’s website to the following timelines:

  January 2011 - draft rationale and course summaries

  April 2011 - draft course specifications

  August 2011 - draft unit specifications

  November 2011 - draft course assessment specifications and draft unit assessment specifications

  January 2012 - draft course support packs and draft unit support packs

  April 2012 - course arrangements and unit specifications.

  The Scottish Qualifications Authority website will continue to be updated with the latest information.

Education

Kenneth Gibson (Cunninghame North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to review the Educational Maintenance Allowance.

Keith Brown: There are no plans to review the Education Maintenance Allowance Scheme. The Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth announced in the draft budget statement on 17 November 2010 plans to continue the Education Maintenance Allowance scheme, consistent with the government’s commitment to support the least well off students in Scotland and open up opportunities for poorer families.

Finance

Willie Coffey (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the development of Best Value 2 will have on (a) it, (b) the NHS and (c) other public bodies.

John Swinney: Best Value 2 is the name of the approach that the Accounts Commission for Scotland is taking to its second phase of Best Value audits of local authorities in Scotland. The role of governing arrangements for Best Value audits for the Scottish Government, NHS bodies and other public bodies rests with the Auditor General for Scotland, not the Accounts Commission.

  Audit Scotland has set out its approach to auditing Best Value on behalf of the Auditor General in the leaflets Auditing Best Value in Central Government Bodies and Auditing Best Value in the NHS that are available on Audit Scotland’s website at:

  http://www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/docs/corp/2009/bv_audit_best_value_central_gov.pdf and

  http://www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/docs/corp/2009/bv_audit_best_value_nhs.pdf.

Health

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how long it should take for a colonoscopy procedure following a positive test on a bowel screening programme.

Nicola Sturgeon: The time from bowel screening test result to date colonoscopy performed is a key performance indicator for the National Bowel Screening Programme.

  In its commitment to continue to drive down waiting times for cancer treatment, the Scottish Government has included patients diagnosed with cancer following a positive screening testing in the 62-day cancer waiting time target. Patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer referred through the National Bowel Screening Programme are expected to have completed their diagnostic tests (including colonoscopy where appropriate) and received their first treatment within 62 days. Performance against this target will be published for the first time in December 2010 for quarter July to September 2010.

Health

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the acceptability of a waiting time of six months for a colonoscopy procedure following a positive test on a bowel screening programme.

Nicola Sturgeon: Unless there is a compelling clinical reason or the individual patient has indicated a desire to delay longer, no patient should wait longer than the six week standard diagnostic waiting time for a key diagnostic test – including colonoscopy.

Higher Education

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much research-related funding the Scottish Funding Council has provided to the University of (a) Dundee and (b) Abertay, Dundee, in each of the last four financial years for which information is available.

Michael Russell: Over the last four academic years, the Scottish Funding Council has provided the Universities of Dundee and Abertay Dundee with the following levels of research-related funding:

  

 
2007-08
2008-09
2009-10
2010-11


Dundee
26,446,462
28,495,296
26,271,928
27,046,430


Abertay Dundee
1,266,380
1,238,820
1,284,834
1,195,688



  The Scottish Funding Council’s research-related funding is provided on an academic rather than a financial year basis and comprises:

  Research Excellence Grant or Main Quality Research Grant

  Research Postgraduate Grant

  Knowledge Transfer Grant

  Research Development Foundation Grant

  (Scottish) Overseas Research Students Awards Scheme

  Strategic Research Development Grant.

  An additional £10 million is also being provided over three years to support the development of the Scottish Institute for Cell Signalling at the University of Dundee.

Higher Education

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many full-time university students in the (a) Dundee City and (b) Angus Council area have received a bursary in each of the last three years for which information is available.

Michael Russell: Bursary (i.e. non-repayable) support for full-time university students is available from the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS). The most recent available data comes from academic session 2009-10. The following table shows the number of bursary recipients from Angus and Dundee city in academic sessions 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10.

  Table 1: Number of full-time University students from Angus or Dundee City who received non-repayable bursary support, 2007-08 to 2009-10:

  

Academic Year
Angus
Dundee
Total


2007-08
1,015
1,350
2,365


2008-09
895
1,370
2,265


2009-10
900
1,415
2,315



  Source: Management information provided to Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) by institutions.

  Notes:

  1. Student numbers have been rounded up or down to the nearest 5 e.g. 1, 2 round to 0; 3, 4 round to 5.

  2. Each student is counted only once, irrespective of how many award types they receive.

  3. Postcode information supplied by students upon application was used to determine which local authority the students resided in. A small number of students did not supply information that could be used in this way and these students are not included in the figures above.

  4. The figures in the tables above are based on students’ home address, not term-time address that may be different.

Higher and Further Education

Jim Tolson (Dunfermline West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have graduated in food technology from Scottish institutions in each of the last five years, broken down by type of (a) course and (b) degree.

Keith Brown: The information requested is contained in the following two tables. Table 1 shows the number of qualifiers from food technology and catering courses at higher education level while table 2 contains comparable figures for further education level courses.

  Table 1: Higher Education Qualifiers from Food Technology and Catering Courses at Scottish Institutions by Qualification 2004-05 to 2008-09

  

Qualification
2004-05
2005-06
2006-07
2007-08
2008-09


Doctorate Degree
0
0
5
5
5


Masters degree mainly by research
0
0
0
0
0


Masters degree not mainly by research
15
25
35
30
60


Postgraduate diploma or certificate
0
5
10
0
0


Other taught qualification at SCQF level 11
0
0
0
10
5


First Degree (ordinary)
80
45
90
95
65


Membership of professional body
5
0
0
0
0


HND or equivalent
105
140
145
120
110


HNC or equivalent
230
155
140
115
110


Advanced Diploma not specified elsewhere
10
15
25
25
50


Advanced Certificate (comprising HN units only)
5
5
10
5
5


Other formal HE qualification of less than degree standard
35
30
65
15
15


Total HE
495
425
520
425
425



  Source: Scottish Funding Council (SFC).

  Notes:

  Figures in this table have been rounded to the nearest 5. 0, 1, 2 have been rounded to 0.

  Figures may not sum to totals due to rounding.

  In this table qualifiers are defined as students who successfully completed an assessed course of study.

  Figures for higher education institutions are derived from Individual Student records collected by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

  The Scottish Funding Council uses a different standard population from HESA and the figures in the table may differ from any published by HESA.

  Table 2: Further Education Qualifiers from Food Technology and Catering Courses at Scottish Colleges by Qualification 2004-05 to 2008-09

  

Qualification
2004-05
2005-06
2006-07
2007-08
2008-09


SVQ: Level 3
180
315
265
220
200


NVQ: Level 3
0
0
0
5
20


GSVQ/GNVQ: Level 3
15
10
15
0
0


SVQ: Level 2
365
410
435
590
570


NVQ: Level 2
30
45
50
60
105


GSVQ/GNVQ: Level 2
0
0
0
0
0


SVQ: Level 1
95
130
120
160
185


NVQ: Level 1
0
5
5
5
15


Higher (group award)
50
30
40
30
25


Intermediate 2 (group award)
115
80
70
60
140


Intermediate 1 (group award)
5
0
0
0
10


Highest level of study (unit) Higher
5
5
5
10
5


Highest level of study (unit) Intermediate 2
55
40
90
50
70


Highest level of study (unit) Intermediate 1
40
40
45
90
125


Highest level of study (unit) Access
20
45
40
105
90


Other Non-Advanced Certificate or equivalent
4,505
5,220
4,290
3,815
3,355


Other Non-Advanced Diploma or equivalent
10
10
10
0
25


National Units Alone
800
670
520
620
570


Any other recognised qualification
4,675
7,115
6,435
8,110
7,285


Programme not leading to recognised qualification (including most non-vocational programme)
1,470
970
770
835
520


Total FE
12,435
15,145
13,200
14,760
13,320



  Source: Scottish Funding Council (SFC).

  Figures in this table have been rounded to the nearest 5. 0, 1, 2 have been rounded to 0.

  Figures may not sum to totals due to rounding.

  In this table qualifiers are defined as students who successfully completed an assessed course of study.

Justice

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what preparation the Court of Session Rules Council is making regarding new rules governing the award of protective cost orders in environmental cases, following the Scottish Government’s response to the Report of the Scottish Civil Courts Review .

Kenny MacAskill: The Court of Session Rules Council has considered and recommended draft rules in relation to protective expenses orders (draft minutes from the relevant meeting of the council are available at:

  http://www.scotcourts.gov.uk/session/rules_council/Meeting%20of%2011%20Oct%202010.pdf).

  The Scottish Government has made these draft rules available to the European Commission for comment.

Justice

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects the Court of Session Rules Council to promulgate new rules governing the award of protective cost orders in environmental cases.

Kenny MacAskill: This is a matter for the Court of Session Rules Council and the Lord President.

Justice

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Court of Session Rules Council will take account of the recent decision of the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee regarding protective cost orders in environmental cases in its consideration of new rules governing the award of such orders.

Kenny MacAskill: This is a matter for the Court of Session Rules Council.

Justice

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers protective cost orders to be sufficient to meet the requirements of access to justice without prohibitive cost in environmental matters as set out in the Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters.

Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government considers that the justice system in Scotland, including protective expenses orders, meets the requirements of the Aarhus Convention.

Justice

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it will give to the access to justice requirements of the Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters when replacing the current tests of title and interest with a single and simpler test of sufficient interest, as stated in its response to the Report of the Scottish Civil Courts Review .

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether communities of interest and non-governmental organisations will have greater access to justice as required by the broad access to justice requirements of the Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters when it replaces the current tests of title and interest with a single and simpler test of sufficient interest, as stated in its response to the Report of the Scottish Civil Courts Review .

Kenny MacAskill: Development of future legislation will take account of the international obligations of the Scottish Government, including any imposed as a consequence of the Aarhus Convention. Greater access to justice for non-governmental organisations is already provided by two Scottish Statutory Instruments (2005/510 and 2006/614), which extend title and interest to such bodies in relation to environmental matters. Furthermore, the planned introduction of a simpler test of sufficient interest, as recommended in the report of the Scottish Civil Courts Review, will broaden access to justice generally.

Justice

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it will give to the timely access to justice requirements of the Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters when introducing a time limit to bring a case as stated in its response to the Report of the Scottish Civil Courts Review .

Kenny MacAskill: The requirements for timely access to justice in the Aarhus Convention are being considered. As noted in its response to the report of the Scottish Civil Courts Review , published on 11 November and available at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2010/11/09114610/0 , the Scottish Government will consider whether the time limit of three months suggested by that report may be too strict, particularly in complex cases involving multiple parties.

Justice

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will take account of the legal system of England and Wales and the Aarhus Compliance Committee’s recent ruling in relation to non-compliance with the Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters when implementing the reforms outlined in paragraphs 168 to 175 of its response to the Report of the Scottish Civil Courts Review .

Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government does intend to take these matters into consideration. Such matters, both from England and Wales and further afield, are routinely considered when developing Scottish solutions, even when not directly applicable to Scotland.